Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A700

Here is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A700, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and A700 (12MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and A700 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 II was launched 8 years later than the A700 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A700 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a short view of how the E-M1 II scores versus the A700 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II & Sony Alpha DSLR-A700. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery & Sony A700 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera, you will have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 II has got outside dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") having a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A700 has proportions of 142mm x 105mm x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1") along with a weight of 768 grams (1.69 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A700 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 II compared to the A700.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 II and A700 is 68 and 58 respectively.

Normally, it is difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizing merely by viewing specifications. The graphic underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 II and A700.

To sum up, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 II due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field trickier and the Olympus E-M1 II will result in greater detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 II is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.